Rep. Grothman’s comments during MLK event spark controversy

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Ripon Commonwealth Press examined comments made by U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-6, during a recent Center for Politics and the People event, held Jan. 15.

When asked by a panelist about recent disparaging comments allegedly made by President Donald Trump about immigrants from Haiti and other African countries, Grothman said people sometimes exaggerate what Trump says and instead insisted he was trying to unify the country. “I think he is doing what he can to try to bring people together. I mean, if you meet him, that is just obvious, and I think he has had to put up with — to a certain extent it’s self-inflicted — more scrutiny than other presidents.”

Rep. Grothman went on to criticize President Obama for inviting Rev. Al Sharpton, civil rights activist, to the White House. “The past president brought Al Sharpton into the White House something like 80 times. That was kind of stunning to me, but nobody ever made a big ruckus out of it.”

The comments were made during a 2.5 hour panel on hate crimes co-sponsored by the Center for Politics and the People on Monday, Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day.